One last Tour
by SomecallmeMichelle
Summary: The Love Händel go on one last tour...
Fire shot upwards from the sides of the stage as the music grew into an emotional crescendo. Though what they sang wasn't more than love ballads and other such cheesy songs, as the true 80's and 90's band that they were, this had been one of the conditions for their return. And it was working.

Whether due to pyrotechnics, whether due to the afflux of young teens in love who now came in to see the band in their 40's, in their re reunion tour (it was their second, they had previously reunited once in a town, a town known as Danville for a birthday anniversary...something which had been a success…), this was going well. The Tri-state area band had even seen some kids in the audience, some of them enjoying their music, though most of them were too young, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, and were probably the result of parents with no babysitting option. "Kids under 5 get in free!"

"Are you guys getting ready for this?" - Danny, the guitarist, and lead singer pointed his fist at the crowd, careful not to point his open hand, as he had learned in a concert in Germany, that'd be a bad idea. A bad idea. - "We're nearly closing! And that means…" - He left the crowd hanging in the air for a few minutes as the crowd intensified the noise that they were making. You'd think that with an average age of about 35, the crowd wouldn't be energetic. But you'd be wrong. If anything they were even more energetic. They chanted the band's name, "Love Händel", "Love Händel", almost in a frantic like tone, like their lives depended on it.

"Then let us start with...You snuck your way right into my heart!" - And with those words the crowd went wild, as the first few chords were hit and the first drum kicks and drops were applied and the bass hit. In fact for moments, even amplified the song couldn't really be heard.

When it finally became hearable the man, Danny did his best to stay on point. - He hadn't done this regularly in almost 20 years. - But he had nothing to worry about. The crowd loved this, the act, the music, the ambience. Though they were getting older now, this had been the sight of many a first date, like those with Linda and Lawrence, a couple he remembered for how their music had changed their life. But that was another story. He was on key tonight, everything was going well, and they were closing out the act...they just had some more cities to peruse, and then,,,then it'd all be over.

To be honest Danny would kind of miss the band, sure Bobbi, the bassist could be a bit of a stuck up individual who thought that everyone should adhere to **his** fashion sense, and Swampy, Swampy was paranoid about losing his rhythm, once again, though he hadn't really lost it in the first time or place, and they could could be quite annoying in their own way. Sharing a tour bus with them, when Bobbi insisted on having 50 bottles of lotions and shampoo and the bathroom barely has space? Not ideal…

But he'd miss those guys. He didn't cry, he would have an excuse for it if it came for it, between the intense lights that lighted up the stadium where he played the guitar, and the chanting of the crowd. He could claim he was being blinded. But he didn't cry, no. That wasn't for him. He just sighed, silently to himself. All the while singing the song and playing the guitar.

He had learned to play the blues years ago, he knew how to play every style that had come out, so really it was nothing that he couldn't do automatically. Like a tidal wave, the feelings crashed over him, and he couldn't do anything about it, except finish up the song and say goodbye to the fans.

"Thank you, STAR CITY!" - He said, after finally finishing. He went on his knees and made a mad guitar riff or what would pass for it, gently riffing the guitar. It wouldn't cause lasting damage, but it'd sound good, in his experience the crowds loved that. As expected the crowd boomed once again. And he smiled. He loved his job. - "You're all the stars! Not the city, YOU! Have a safe night!" - It was good to have one or two pre built stock phrases for each city of their tour, it came out as false, but it made the crowd feel welcome, and they had paid for their trip, so it was the least he could do.

He turned to the other two that were already packing up his instruments. Or what they could take. Swampy's drums were going to be taken later, and he would just take the sticks, for now. But Bobbi and Danny would take their instruments.

Danny got away from his microphone and waved to the crowd, who was ecstatic and leaving the building.

Making sure his lapel microphone, the one he used for secondary feedback was turned off, he turned towards the other two members of his band. Love Händel.

"Good show, we were all on point."

Bobbi, with his white hair, and bass, didn't even flinch or look at Danny. He had one of those personalities. One of those "I'm bored with everything, and I'm too fabulous for everything and everyone". The one that screamed, "B to the O to the R to the ING".

So he stood..looking past Danny. He knew he had done a good job. He always did a good job, it was such a shame that people didn't care for the bassist, because he was clearly the best.

"I always do a good show."

"Did I really?" - Swampy, the scrawny, smaller of the three looked at Danny. It wasn't like he needed approval to continue this, but, after falling asleep on a metronome factory, a terrible thing, he was always afraid of losing his rhythm.

Danny smiled. He was far past being offended by Bobbi's ego. He knew how he was. Swampy however? He needed the ego boost.

"You did great. You were amazing at it! Every single beat was beaten at the right Beat." - He laughed a little. "Beat."

Swampy laughed a bit too, he felt relieved.

"Though you didn't do as great as me obviously, who does? I think you did great too!" - Bobbi's voiced carried a certain arrogance to it, but the complement in it was genuine, he was really trying to be nice.

Swampy looked flabbergasted, unsure if that was good or bad, but he quickly regained his footing. "Thank you" - He said, simply.

"Ready to go?" - A burly security man,, the one the three members of the band had nicknamed "Joe", approached. In his hand a cup of coffee, that he wore close to the lapel of his suit. He towered over the three men, but it was his job to protect them.

"Whatever" - Bobby, moved forwards in the direction of the Tour bus, but "Joe" paid him no mind, he had been in this busy business for years, With his frame there wasn't much else he could do, he was used to petulant artists acting like spoiled brats.

Danny let out a little smile, almost as if apologising for the behavior of Bobbi. Not that he could do anything about it. The official word might have been creative differences, but it was things like this that had split them up in the first place.

But there wasn't any other bassist he would rather have, and there wasn't anyone better, except perhaps that Flynn-prodigy, but the kid would probably do it for a day, decide he was bored of it and give it up. - He smiled. He knew his reputation. - He could do the impossible, only for a day though.

They were also friends though. Maybe he could give him a call and ask him...how ridiculous was that? He wouldn't be there, if his parents hadn't meet at one of his concerts, and now he needed his help...but still…

He glanced at the guitar he still held in his hands, and shook his head, considering it. Better not, plus it was late. The boy was probably asleep.

Swampy had already moved on ahead. He had always dyed his hair to the rocker look, but nowadays he needed to add extensions too, as his hair was shortening. It was visible amidst the 50 plus odd bottles that Bobbi kept, the extensions.

They were getting older...and that much was obvious. He glanced back at the crowd...or what remained of it. Though they had pulled in thousands, not only a few dozens remained, leaving the stadium. He smiled. What a life…

:

:

As soon as he got into the Tour bus he slumped into the seat, contrary to "The Bettys" another group, this one Pop Glam, rock, whatever that had replaced them eventually, and was listened on by teenagers, they didn't keep pets in their Tour Bus, but that didn't mean that the place wasn't a mess.

Between the instruments at a corner, the suspicious smells… - it wouldn't be blues inspired without it. - In another, the bathroom, filled to the brim with Bobbi's things, and his space, filled with his products, the whole place was a mess. Not that he did care, he had lived there for 3 months and had gotten sort of used to it.

He pushed himself against the seats of the bus. He'd miss this whole thing. The adulation, the rush, but it tired him out. And still…

"Hey!" - Swampy threw him a cold cola, a drink he had gotten from the mini fridge that was around the back of the bus. - "Don't let Bobbi catch you with that here, if he catches you with that here he'd freak."

They both exchanged a knowing smile, as they stared at the back of the bus, at the place where Bobbi had went to fuss over his hairdo, they knew that he was a hairdresser of profession, but seriously, there were limits, to most everything, including how fussed up you could be about your hair.

"Almost home...then I can live the glamorous life of a librarian, you can go back to selling music, and he can go back to selling individuality." - He let out a laugh, Danny took a sip of his drink. - " I kind of missed the life, ya know? If I hadn't fallen asleep…"

Danny had heard Swampy's theory of the metronome factory at least a hundred times and he knew it to be, in part, just an excuse...he knew the other man doubted his skills but that was only one of the reasons he and the other two had split up the band. Bickering and other things had led to it.

"Your skills are fine." - He vowed to it. - "Don't worry,about them...as for the tour...whenever we start I want to keep going forever but then…" - He pushed his hands in the air showing everything, the plants, the cramped space, Bobbi, Swampy, himself… - "I'm not as young as I once was."

Swampy nodded, he felt like that too. Sometimes. - "Did you hear that song that was the stuff some years back, Gitchi Gitchi Goo or something like that? A bunch of nonsense, that was catchy, but wasn't mean to make sense?"

Danny took another gulp of his soda and held out a burp, intent on listening to whatever Swampy was saying.

"It came and went away pretty quickly but...I guess the music scene has changed, we aren't the 20's something with dyed hair and love ballads we were. I mean, music's still the same, generation isn't. Ya know?"

Danny finished his drink and threw it at the rubbish bin on the other side of the bus, that had, now started moving. He hit it one. He nodded, to indicate to Swampy he was listening.

"One day we'll have to hang the guitars and drums and bass, and let the next generation step in. The Lindannas, the Love Händels, us, Max Modem, those 80's and 90's stars that are best forgotten…"

Danny looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"I guess you're right…". - After a few minutes of silence he looked back at Swampy and patted him on the back. - "Let's leave it to the Betty's and so on, from now on, as soon as we're done, heh? What was it that you said? We don't need our names on plates or something?"

"Who knows, with all the basses and guitars you sell, you might even be the one to discover the new rocker…"

Danny smiled…

"I believe I have, remember Phineas? Phineas Flynn?"

.


End file.
